There are plenty of noteworthy quarterbacks in the Big 10 that will need protection to succeed this year. Would they prefer some of the best offensive linemen the Big 12 has to offer? Perhaps, but we’re sure plenty would be pleased to create a unit based on the talent playing in their own conference. But which player will take the lead as Last Word takes a look at the best Big 10 offensive linemen coming back in 2025?
Best Big 10 Offensive Linemen Returning In 2025
5. Emmanuel Pregnon – Oregon (Transferred From USC)
Last Word’s goal of crowning the best Big 10 offensive linemen begins with a transfer. Normally, transfers are not a part of the countdown. But intra-conference transfers are included since the patch on their jersey didn’t change. Dan Lanning’s Ducks had a breakout first season as members of the Big 10. But a disappointing Rose Bowl game to the eventual national champions left the 2024 season feeling incomplete. Lanning reloaded by bringing over Emmanuel Pregnon from USC to strengthen their offensive line. Pregnon will be Oregon’s left guard and didn’t allow a sack on 532 pass-blocking snaps in 2024. He finished 2024 for the Trojans with seven games with a pass-blocking grade of at least 70.0, including three of 80.0 or better. The second-team All-Big 10 member hopes to elevate his play even further in hopes of chasing a national championship with Oregon.
4. Olaivavega Ioane – Penn State
Another team that had a breakthrough 2024 season was James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Franklin got his team to a Big 10 championship game appearance, along with a trip to the college football semi-final round. Penn State boasts possibly the best backfield in all of college football, and it will help having Olaivaveg Ioane back to open up holes for them. Ioane garnered second-team All-Big 10 and was one of the 20 highest-graded guards in the Power Four this past season, according to PFF. If the Nittany Lions are running the ball well this year, Ioane deserves plenty of praise for it.
3. Gennings Dunker – Iowa
Kirk Ferentz is no stranger to producing elite offensive linemen. Gennings Dunker has both the name and build of what anyone would picture an Iowa offensive lineman to look like. Dunker excelled in the run game. He earned a 90.2 PFF run-blocking grade this past season, ranking second only to Utah’s Spencer Fano among FBS tackles. But it wasn’t just his run-blocking that was elite. His 90.2 PFF overall grade was good enough to finish fifth in the nation in 2024. Dunker’s also produced seven of what PFF describes as big-time blocks (PFF’s highest-graded blocks). This tied with Fano for the third most among Power Four tackles. All of his production earned him a second-team All-Big 10 selection. Dunker will not be the only Hawkeye part of the best Big 10 offensive line unit.
2. Iapani Laloulu – Oregon
The Ducks find themselves with two players a part of the best Big 10 offensive linemen returning in 2025. Unlike Pregnon, Iapani Laloulu has made his impact for the Ducks across two seasons now. He flashed across 413 snaps as a true freshman in 2023. He led all Power Four guards with a 0.9% pressure rate allowed. During that 2023 season, Laloulu played at least 100 snaps at center, left guard, and right guard. Last year, he became Oregon’s starting center and was one of only six Power Four players at the position who earned top-20 grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker. Laloulu also holds an impressive streak heading into the 2025 season. He hasn’t surrendered a sack across 720 career pass-blocking snaps. He enters the season as one of the top five center draft prospects for 2026. Expect Laloulu to anchor a high-powered attack for Oregon.
The Best Big 10 Offensive Linemen Returning In 2025 Is Logan Jones – Iowa
Dunker welcomes his teammate, Logan Jones, to the countdown. Jones has put together quite a resume to earn the top spot among our best Big 10 offensive linemen entering the 2025 season. Jones was the Power Four’s highest-graded center this past season, earning a grade of 83.6 according to PFF. He was particularly dominant in the run game, leading all Power Four centers with an 82.3 PFF run-blocking grade. His 12 starts at center pushed his career total to 38. Jones led a unit that rushed for 200+ yards in eight games, the most Iowa has had since 2015. Iowa’s 197.2 rushing yards per game ranked third in the Big Ten and was the most for the program since 2002. But he didn’t earn a second-team All-Big 10 selection by being one-dimensional. He placed 10th in the Power Four with a 1.8% pressure rate allowed in 2024. Hawkeye fans should expect to see another power rushing attack with Jones at the heart of it.
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